Announcing AKA Special Projects
“maintaining the
momentum”
Dear Kfarsghabi & Friends,
In
November 2007, we delivered the Heritage Exhibition of
photographs and memorabilia, seen by an estimated 2000
people of all ages, appropriately celebrating our 120
years of migration to Australia. This was the
first major outcome of our strategic plan. The plan
calls for AKA to promote and execute projects and events
acknowledging our contribution to our adopted home and
represent an increasing relevance to our community and
heritage.
We believe that by
providing a vehicle for our people to maintain an
interest and a connection to their greater family links,
then this will be a focal point of good works,
friendship and most of all, links for the young people
of our community.
It is my distinct
privilege to announce our work schedule for proposed
special projects in the coming months. I am sure you
will agree with me that this represents a very
significant breakthrough in thinking and includes the
most ambitious project ever undertaken by AKA, the
construction of a Kfarsghab Family Tree database.
We will work to achieve
all of the projects listed, including the compilation of
last year’s celebration in time for our 125-year
migration anniversary in 2012.
The Kfarsghab Family
Tree Project
This project will be launched in November and initial
pilots are already underway. It involves creating an
individual data record for each person in our community,
living or deceased. These are then linked in ways that
will document all relationships. Whilst this is a
massive undertaking, as a community, we are best placed
to deliver it. We should be able to present information
to our children and grandchildren about their unbroken
heritage and we will be seeking your cooperation, as
there is certain information we will need. Details of
each person’s parents and spouse will be sufficient to
build the tree. While gathering this detail, we will
take the opportunity to ask you some additional
questions allowing us to understand our community and
its needs better.
Other new exciting
Initiatives
These projects are new and
the Association is calling for nominations from the
community to celebrate contributions made by Kfarsghabi
and descendants of Kfarsghab.
AKA Sports Hall of Fame:
We wish to acknowledge those who reached the highest
level of achievement and/or celebrity through their
sporting career. There will be a variety of levels of
qualification including for those who have played a role
in sport other than as a player such as administration,
officiating and coaching.
The Association has
developed a comprehensive policy and criteria for use in
acknowledgement of these awards. Each year as part of
our Kfarsghab Heritage celebrations nominees selected
for the AKA Sports Hall of Fame will be honoured. The
inaugural AKA Sports Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony will
be conducted in November 2009.
Military Service: The object is to recognise those
people in our community who served their adopted country
in wartime. There will be at least 3 categories – Active
Service (including combat), National Service and
Civilian Support Services. In 2009, the Association
will further acknowledge these descendants on or around
that week of ANZAC Day.
Since it will be an
impossible task to collate the above two (2) awards
without cooperation, we will be seeking nominations to
be honoured in due course. We will be placing forms and
policy for download from the
www.kfarsghab.com.au website and if you are unable
to do this but would like to make a nomination, please
contact the AKA Secretary to arrange for a hard copy to
be sent to you.
AKA Academic
Achievement Awards – launch early 2009
We are well advanced in
building a policy to establish a program of awards for
academic achievement with a plan for commencement in
early 2009. It is anticipated nominations will be
accepted for superior performance in the HSC (or
equivalent outside NSW), TAFE and University. Once
finalised, we will seek nominations from the community
via the website or forms provided for the purpose will
be mailed.
We are also exploring the
concept of a Marquee Award called the AKA Young Achiever
of the Year Award. This concept will centre around
nominations from the community in wide-reaching fields
of endeavour and candidates will be asked to make a
formal submission to support their case for selection.
More information will be forthcoming later in the year.
Call for Support
Whilst the Association
believes these initiatives will usher in a new era of
growth, interest and increasing relevance to our
community, we are mindful that none of it can be
achieved without the full cooperation of you and your
families. We urge you to give these projects your
whole-hearted support. The results will be an extremely
valuable legacy we will leave for our descendants here
and abroad and as we deliver the various planks in our
strategic plan, we will reinforce our position as
leaders in our Lebanese and Australian communities.
On behalf of the
Australian Kfarsghab Association Committee
Thank you
Raymond Haddad - AKA
President
